Lost and Unseen
by BlazingPyro606
Summary: Lucy looked around the guild as she swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat. She noticed everyone seemed to know what the master was talking about expect her. She felt her palms begins to sweat from the anticipation. Master Makarov took a deep breath before he exhaled and spoke the words that Lucy didn't expect to hear. "Lucy is missing."
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

_What is happening? Why is everyone in the guild here? And why does everyone look sad?_

Chocolate brown eyes looked around the guild frantically as she walked through the guild doors observing the behaviour of everyone present whilst her silky blonde hair flowed with every movement she made. The guild wasn't cheerful like it usually was. It was quiet, almost intimidating. It was unrecognisable as everyone was brooding with his or her heads held low. The once cheerful guild that was known throughout Fiore for it's reckless and rowdy behaviour stood silent at the edge of Magnolia. The atmosphere was tense as Lucy could feel the tightness in the air. It wasn't pleasant. She began to feel uneasy about the state of the guild. Curiosity as to what caused the guild to become so silent plagued her mind, filling up with questions with each passing minute.

As she walked further into the guild, she saw her scarlet haired friend sitting on her usual seat at the bar looking down at the table. Her strawberry cake placed in front of her, waiting to be devoured but remained untouched. The icing used to decorate the cake started to melt, but it did not seem to bother Erza. Lucy could sense the anger that surrounded her dangerously, even though her outer façade displayed her usual calm and analytical nature. Lucy could see that Erza was deep in thought. She backed away and looked over to the corner of the guild where her best friend usually sat, only to see she was crying. Droy and Jet were standing behind her, looking away whilst hiding their faces, looking slightly ashamed. Lucy was surprised to see that they were not attempting to comfort Levy from her distraught state. She walked over to them and sat on a seat directly across them on their table.

"Levy-chan, what's wrong?" Lucy's eyes observed Levy as she continued to cry, ignoring her question. The blue haired wizard had her head in her hands as the tears flowed down her rosy cheeks. She didn't look up. Lucy wanted to reach out and place her hand on her friend's shoulder but Gajeel had beaten her to it. He swung his arm over Levy's shoulder, bringing her closer as he had been sitting next to her and listening as her cries became louder. She clutched onto Gajeels shirt and wept into it, staining the shirt with her endless tears. Pantherlily stood on the table with his head down, eyes unfocused as if he were lost in thoughts. He seemed to be analyzing the current situation. Lucy could not understand what was going on. She got up from her seat in front of Levy and Gajeel and went to see if she could get any answers from Cana, even though she was unsure about the outcome. She searched for Cana amongst the members of Fairy Tail and located her a few tables away up ahead sitting by herself with her cards placed across the table. As she walked up to her she noticed Cana had not touched her drink. She was holding onto one of her cards, observing it before she scrunched it, effectively bending the card beyond future use. The liquor placed before Cana remained stationary, only forming ripples with the occasional movement. Lucy heard Cana mumbling something along the lines of nothing making any sense.

_That's unusual. Cana would never leave her drink just sitting there. In fact she would have a few empty barrels next to her. There's also the fact that she doesn't understand what her readings are telling her which is going to be a big problem for her. _

Lucy walked around the guild to see if she could talk to anyone. She noticed Juvia was sitting next to Gray. Gray held the same dangerous aura as Erza, only he didn't look like he could contain himself. Juvia sat quietly beside Gray. Her face was void of any emotions but it was evident in her eyes that she was having an inner turmoil. Even Laxus, who was leaning against the wall behind them, didn't have his calm and collective nature in his eyes. He seemed to be frustrated, possibly even more than any other guild members. This left Lucy quite astounded. As Lucy continued to observe the guild she noticed that the Raijinshu were not anywhere to be seen. Lucy made a mental guess that they were probably currently on a job that didn't require Laxus to be present.

Lucy could not comprehend what was happening. She tried to remember what she did the night before to figure out if something had happened, but her memory was foggy. Everything that came to mind was too blurry for her to grasp. Vague colours were all she could make out of her memories. She felt a throbbing pulse go through her head when she tried too hard to remember, as if something was blocking her mind from going any further.

_Why can't I remember anything? I must have had too much to drink if my memory is this clouded. But I don't usually drink! Yesterday might have been an exception. _

Lucy sat at an empty table where she could observe everyone for a while. She concluded that she would have to wait until everyone was feeling better to get her answers. Looking around for the last time she noticed that the master, Natsu and the blue exceed were nowhere to be seen. This got Lucy curious. She knew they usually would be sitting at a table located near the bar so they could get their countless supply of food, but that table was void of their presence at the moment.

Lucy heard someone behind her and turned around to see Wendy was leaning against the wall, crying with Carla trying to comfort her but with no success. It pinched her chest to see her friend is such a state. She wanted to go and comfort the young girl but thought it would be best to leave it to Carla, after all, Carla always found a way to encourage the girl to save her tears. She had a strange way to get into the young girls mind. Lucy turned around and rested her head on the table. She closed her eyes and listened to the rare silence of the guild whilst thinking about the present situation.

_I don't get what's happened! Everyone looks so miserable and I haven't got the slightest clue why! Whatever it is that happened, I hope to find out soon because it's __starting to freak__ me out. _

It had been ten minutes before Lucy opened her eyes to the sound of a door opening and loud wails of crying, completely silencing the noise of the door slamming shut. She saw the blue exceed fly down from the second floor and land on the table of the bar, next to Erza's strawberry cake. Tears ran down his eyes like a waterfall as his wails echoed through the guild hall, unable to hold back his despair. His eyes were red from the non-stop crying. Lucy was about to get up and give Happy a hug when Erza spoke.

"Calm down Happy, we'll sort this out." The softness in Erza's voice hid the pain she was feeling. "We'll figure it out, I promise." Lucy's eyes widened as she saw Erza turn to face Happy, sadness evident on her face. She smiled for Happy, attempting to look brave and invited him into a hug. Happy ran into her open arms and cried louder than before. He was mumbling something but it was muffled by Erza's armour. Her smile soon faded as she hugged Happy tighter. Lucy could sense an aura of anger emerging again from Erza as she tried to comfort Happy. At the bar, Mira was holding onto her younger sister as a form of reassurance. Elfman stood nearby watching over his sisters. He believed he needed to be brave for everyone.

The sound of a door opening on the second floor and being slammed shut again caught everyone's attention. Lucy watched as Natsu walked down the stairs. Lucy was about to approach him and ask what was happening when she saw the anger flaring in his eyes. It looked like his fire was dancing fiercely. He had never looked this furious before. Everyone watched as Natsu walked over to where Happy was and leaned against the bar table, ignoring the seat that stood vacant next to him. Erza let go of Happy and watched as he jumped into Natsu's arms and cried. He wouldn't stop. Natsu started to gently pat Happy's head in an attempt to calm him down.

"Come on Happy, we will figure this out." Natsu said in a reassuring manner, though his anger did not falter.

"Aye" wept the exceed while clinging onto Natsu. His tears were beginning to leave a wet patch on Natsu's black attire. It didn't seem like Natsu's unnatural body heat could dry the tears quick enough. Natsu held onto Happy whilst attempting to calm him down, unaffected by the wet stain being left on his clothes. He continued to gently pat Happy as the trembling of the exceed started to decrease and all that was left was the occasional hiccups. Natsu didn't let go of the Happy as he started to calm down gradually, in fear that the exceed was going to burst into tears again upon not seeing their blonde best friend present.

Lucy was terrified and unable to move. It became evident to her that the current situation was causing her two best friends the most pain. She didn't know what she could do to reassure them that the problem would be solved. All she could do watch as Natsu looked like he was ready to destroy something with his anger that was radiating of his skin. It surprised her that Happy seemed unaffected.

Few minutes later Lucy heard the sound of more footsteps descending down the stairs. She turned around to see who it was before her eyes widened upon the sight of messy ginger hair and shaded blue glasses. Her gaze did not leave the leader of the zodiac as she observed his features. She could see the small hint of him being distraught, though he held a stern face. He also looked extremely tired. He seemed to be analyzing the situation thoroughly in his head. Lucy knew that if Loke had passed through the gate on his own, the situation must be dire.

She saw the master trailing a few steps behind looking disturbed with the matter. She noticed his movements were a little sluggish compared to normal. He looked slightly pale and his face adorned a few more wrinkles and bags under his eyes. Lucy could tell immediately the master had not gotten much sleep. She couldn't help but become a little scared. Questions of what had exactly happened afflicted through her mind.

Master Makarov walked onto the stage of the guild and cleared his throat. Everyone turned their heads and gathered around the stage to listen to what the master was about to say. He looked distressed but quickly changed his façade to appear brave for his children. He knew bringing up the news that he was sure everyone already knew about by now would cause the atmosphere of the guild to become even more suffocating than it already was, however he needed to let the guild members know what was going through his mind. He stood on the stage quietly for a few seconds before he spoke.

"I'm sure you have all heard the news by now." The guild was silent with a few hiccups heard from Levy. He gave her a sympathetic look before facing everyone else with a serious expression again. "But I am going to say it so everyone here is on the same boat." Everyone in the guild held an expression of complete seriousness, expressing their full attention to the master. No one moved a muscle as they waited for Makarov to continue speaking.

Lucy looked around the guild as she swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat. The tension in the guild hall had made her nervous. The guild being silent was never a good sign. She looked around at all the faces in the guild noticed everyone seemed to know what the master was talking about expect her. This made her extremely uneasy. She felt her palms begins to sweat from the anticipation.

_What news! I didn't hear anything! And why is my heart is pounding so fast!_

Master Makarov took a deep breath before he exhaled. He eyed every single guild member, mentally preparing them once again before he spoke the words that Lucy didn't expect to hear.

"Lucy is missing."


	2. Chapter 1: Details

**Chapter 1: Details**

_**30 minutes earlier**_

Natsu stood inside of Makarov's office. He looked at the clock hanging on the wall, noticing it said 11:00am. He had already been in the room for 10 minutes explaining the situation. Happy was standing next to him, shaking from trying to hold back his tears, though unsuccessful as a tear or two made its way down his face. Natsu could understand why the blue exceed was is such a state, his blonde best friend was nowhere in sight. He had gone to her apartment to see if she was willing to go on a job with him this morning, but as he arrived outside her apartment, he couldn't sense her presence. He barged in through the window only to find that her room had been ransacked completely. He stiffened upon the sight and decided to look around with Happy to see if they could find anything that could be used as evidence before heading to the guild to let the master know. Finding nothing, he decided to sniff the apartment and was stunned when he found three unfamiliar scents still lingering within the room. From the strength of the scents, he guessed that whoever was in the room had left about five or six hours ago. That meant whoever had been in Lucy's apartment was there very early in the morning. Natsu and Happy ran to the guild as quickly as they could, informing all the present members they ran past of their findings before barging into Makarov's office and telling him what they had discovered. Makarov listened carefully and attentively to what was being said, before he closed his eyes to think. It had been 5 minutes of complete silence and Natsu was getting impatient. He was about to ask Makarov what to do when the master opened his eyes and looked at the two guild members with a stern expression.

"Natsu, are you sure there was no physical evidence left behind?"

"Of course gramps! There was nothing there that wasn't Lucy's! Her apartment is a complete mess, as if there had been a fight! All that was left there were three scents that I don't recognise!" Natsu wanted to get to the bottom of this. He knew that Lucy would be a valuable target for many reasons, one being she was currently the best Celestial Wizard in Fiore being the holder of many zodiac keys, another reason was her magic was very valuable. There was also the fact that she also held the surname of one of the richest families, even if it had been years since it held the same prestigious value. He knew she was strong enough to defend herself as he had seen her magic and skills grow over the few years he had known her. He also knew her determination and will to never give up was strong enough to rival his, so for her to lose a battle meant that something unexpected had happened, something that was beyond Lucy's strength and control. It left him feeling exceedingly unsettled.

Makarov stared at Natsu for a few seconds before he let out a sigh. He remembered Lucy had been at the guild the day before and nothing had been out of the ordinary. She had arrived at the guild around 10:30 in the morning and stayed until close to midnight, deciding to go home with the company of Natsu and Happy. She had spent the majority of the day enjoying herself amongst the guild members, striking a casual conversation or trying to stop Natsu and Gray from starting a fight, though her efforts seemed futile, she played with little Asuka while her parents had gone out on a small job in town and even spoke with Levy about a new idea she had got her new book she was writing. Everything about the previous day indicated that the events that happened between the time she left the guild and now were out of her control. Makarov started to rub his temple while he spoke to the two boys standing in front of him. "Natsu, Happy, I'm going to need you both to leave this room for me to think about what actions to take. The situation seems a little complicated."

"But gramps-"

"Natsu! We need to plan this! We cannot do anything reckless when we know almost nothing about the enemy!"

Natsu was dumbfounded at the master's outburst. Makarov normally didn't yell unless he absolutely felt the need to get his point across. Natsu was about to retort again when he noticed the tired look on the master's face. His skin looked more wrinkled than usual, he had bags under his eyes and his eyes were slightly red from the lack of sleep. Natsu decided to comply with Makarov's instructions and started walking towards the door with Happy trailing behind him brooding his head low when a bright light erupted in the centre of the room. As the leader of the 12 zodiac appeared, Natsu couldn't help but notice how exhausted and drained Loke looked as well.

"Master, I have-" Loke cut himself when he sensed the presence of the dragon slayer and exceed. He quickly turned his head with a look of surprise. "Natsu, Happy, what are you doing here?"

Natsu was about to respond when Makarov spoke. "They were about to leave when you appeared, Loke." Makarov gave a unyielding glance to towards Natsu, signalling for him and Happy to leave. "Natsu, it's time for you and Happy to leave the room. I request you both stand outside my office or sit at the bar. I will call you and inform you of everything you need to know once I've spoken to Loke."

Natsu let out a frustrated sigh as he walked out the room with Happy trailing close behind him. He had decided he was going to wait outside the room with Happy until Loke and the Master had done their discussion. Natsu had a feeling that Loke knew something about Lucy's disappearance but wasn't going to say anything until he had discussed it with Makarov, so he knew there was no point in pushing Loke to talk.

Loke watched and waited for a few seconds after Natsu had left before he turned to face the master with a serious expression as he resumed speaking.

"Master, I have done what you have told me to do. What shall I do next?"

* * *

_**10 minutes earlier**_

Natsu was pacing back and forth outside of Makarov's office. It had been 10 minutes since he and Happy had been told to leave the room and wait and he was starting to get impatient again. He tried to listen through the door to hear what Makarov and Loke were talking about but realised he couldn't hear anything. He couldn't help but feel annoyed at the fact a sound proof spell was placed around the room. They must have been discussing something they didn't want Natsu to hear, or the sound proof spell might have always been there but he didn't take notice of it until now. Natsu stopped pacing when he heard the sound of quiet sobs. He turned to see Happy sitting down and leaning against the railing of the second floor while streams of tears starting to pour down his face. Natsu felt his chest pinch at the sight of seeing Happy like this. He crouched down in front of crying exceed and started to gently rub his head. Happy looked up at Natsu with puffy red eyes.

"Everything is going to work out Happy, I promise."

"Aye." Happy's voice started to tremble as he tried to stop the tears. Natsu continued to gently rub Happy's head when the door to the master's office was opened by Loke. Natsu and Happy immediately rose up from their position, with their previous emotions gone and replaced with seriousness. Happy wiped the tears from his face as the pair walked inside and stood in front of the master, waiting for him to speak. Makarov waiting patiently for Loke to close the door and join them.

"Natsu, Happy, Loke and I have discussed what our best course of action will be." Makarov watched as Natsu and Happy stood still, expecting to know what they would be doing to save their friend. "We decided it will be best to gather intel about the enemy and not go out to look for Lucy. She is a strong wizard and is capable of looking after herself."

Natsu remained frozen on the spot. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. He felt his anger begin to boil inside of him as he stared dangerously at the master while replaying the words he had just heard in his head to make sure he heard correctly. Rage was seething through his words as he spoke. "We are not going to look for Lucy? So you're telling me that we should let her life be in even more danger than it already is? I don't believe this!" Natsu fisted his hand as he shook with fury. Unable to hold back his tears any longer, Happy flew out of the room wailing whilst ignoring the door that slammed shut behind him. "We all know Lucy is a strong wizard and is capable of looking after herself but she could be hurt right now! We should be looking for her instead of waiting for her to come back!"

Loke stared at Natsu, mesmerised by the dragon slayers strong intent to save his Master. Although he understood Natsu's point, he believed following the guild Masters orders were important. There was always reason behind the Masters actions. Loke put his hand on Natsu's shoulder in an attempt to calm his down. "Natsu, the reason Master is saying this is because Lucy still has all her gate keys. She could be recuperating right now. We need to have trust in her."

Natsu shook Loke's hand of his shoulder as he turned to face him, scowling as his anger was flaring. "I trust her alright. I trust in her strength and skills and I know she can handle any situation by herself, but what I don't get is why you are here with us and not with her! If she's recuperating like you think, why aren't you there making sure there isn't any danger around her!"

Silence followed Natsu's outburst as Loke stared speechless. When Natsu didn't get an immediate answer he gave one last glare towards Makarov and Loke then turned around and followed Happy out of the room. He felt his anger increase with every second as he walked down the stairs. He leant over the bar table and watched as Happy left Erza's arms and ran into his while weeping uncontrollably. Natsu gently pat the head of the crying exceed in an effort to calm him down.

"Come on Happy, we'll figure this out." Even though he tried to sound reassuring, he knew that his angry was still present. He tried to calm down in an attempt to not worry the exceed then he already was.

"Aye." Natsu felt his chest sting at seeing Happy like this. The tears were endless and were soaking his clothes, but it didn't bother him. He carried Happy until his crying ceased. He didn't let the exceed go even after his tears stopped worried that he would burst into tears again.

* * *

_**Present Time**_

It had been a few minutes later when Loke and the master had left the office and walked down the stairs. Natsu watched as they walked onto the stage to make their announcement. He knew that the guild wouldn't like the idea the master and Loke were going to insinuate, but he also knew that everyone would have to follow through with it whether they accepted it or not. He knew it would take him a while to accept what was going to be proposed, but if this was going to be the only way to save Lucy then he would go forth with it. For the time being, he would have faith in her.

Master Makarov cleared his throat and waited until he got everyone's attention. He watched as they all made their way around the stage and waited patiently for him to start speaking. "I'm sure you all have heard the news by now." He paused for a moment, listening to the rare silence present in the guild which was suddenly disturbed by the few hiccups coming from Levy. He gave her a sympathetic gaze before he looked at all the guild members with seriousness etched in his face. "But I'm going to say it so everyone here is on the same boat." Makarov inhaled deeply before he sighed and observed everyone, preparing them mentally once again and spoke. "Lucy is missing"

The guild hall was silent. No one moved a muscle as they felt a fresh wave of emotions go through them. They looked at Makarov and waited patiently for him to continue speaking as he waited a moment longer before he started addressing everyone again. "Loke and I have decided on the best course of action but before I tell you, you all must know that I will not change my mind." Some of the members in the guild gave the master a questioning look, whilst others understood that the reasoning would be explained. "Loke and I have decided to not go out to look for Lucy. We are going to stay and gather as much intel about the enemy as possible." Makarov observed the stunned faces of all the guild members. He had expected such a reaction and knew that all of them were going to demand reasoning.

Natsu felt his anger from before re-emerge. He formed a fist to control his urge to destroy something. The need to vent his fury was overwhelming him as he remembered his short conversation with Loke. He didn't want to voice those words again and was quietly hoping someone else would find Loke's presence strange. He still couldn't understand why the leader of the 12 zodiac was here with them and not with Lucy ensuring her safety and protection. He felt Happy starting to quiver again so he wrapped his arms tightly around the exceed, silently reassuring him that everything was going to be solved. He knew the exceed would start tearing up again if he let his anger lose.

Erza stared at Makarov with disbelief. "But master! If we do that we could be putting Lucy's life in even more danger! Wouldn't it be wise to go out and search for her?" She tried to fathom how this plan was going to be beneficial for Lucy, possibly even ensure that she was going to return safely but nothing came to mind. Only the possibility of more danger that Lucy would have to face was all she was able to get hold of. There was no knowledge of Lucy's safety and though she could understand why Loke would be here, she felt slightly uneasy by his presence. He was Lucy's strongest spirit so it would be wise for him to stay by her side and have another spirit informing them of anything they needed to know, but if Loke was here it also meant that Lucy could possibly be safe for the time being. With those two thoughts in mind, she waited for an answer to her question.

Makarov foresaw the likelihood of being asked this. He wasn't surprised when Erza had been the one to deliver the question since she was always quick to make judgements in these kind of situations. "I'm aware of that as Natsu has already pointed that out to me. I also considered that possibility myself, but the reason I have chosen this course of action is because of what Loke has shared with me." Makarov gestured for Loke to step forward and address the present guild members. Loke nodded his understanding and advanced forward. Everyone shifted their gaze from the guild master to Loke and waited for him to articulate what he was going to share with them.

"I have already told Master and Natsu this but you all should also know that Lucy still has her gate keys. If that wasn't the case, I wouldn't be standing here. Also I think you all should know about the enemy we fought. The enemy who attacked consisted of three individuals who all use different types of magic. One used bullet magic, another used chain magic and the last one used Amaterasu which I believe is caster magic."

Erza became rigid a soon as she heard these three types of magic. She tried to recall where she had heard or seen of them. She was aware she had fought someone who used chain and bullet magic and how difficult it was to gain a victory. Though the magic type seemed simple, the user used it at an advanced level, making it difficult for her to win. The memory came to her quickly and she couldn't help but wonder if there was any possible relation. She decided it was better to voice her thought for everyone to hear. "If I remember correctly, Master Hades used those types of magic too. Could there possible be a link?"

Natsu, Gray and Wendy looked intently at the ground as they reminisced the fight they had with Master Hades on Tenrou Island. They recollected it had been extremely difficult to win against him, even getting scared at how overwhelming his magic was. They knew that fighting someone who possessed these types of magic would mean that it would not be easy. They also remembered Laxus had somehow showed up and fought Master Hades, although he had used up most of his magic and had to give the remainder of it to Natsu to help him. Wendy recalled Master Hades using a spell on Laxus that had been detrimental. Its explosive power was one she didn't want to experience and she was astounded at the fact Laxus had survived, even if it had battered him severely. She never found out the name of that type of magic, so she became curious to know if it was what she believed it to be. "Amaterasu was the magic used on Laxus-san when he fought Master Hades, right?"

Each person turned to Laxus who was leaning against the wall, causing him to sighed as the attention was diverted to him. He reminisced at the memory of fighting Master Hades and how painful it felt when he had been struck by the formidable spell. He wasn't going to deny the circumstance that he felt a little overwhelmed. He looked around the guild, noticing that each person held some interest in his answer as he confirmed their suspicions. "Yeah, that was Amaterasu. The spell was really powerful. I felt its evil before it struck me and when it did, it knocked me out cold. I felt lucky to have even survived it." Everyone remained silent as the new found awareness processed through their head. A spell powerful enough to knock Laxus out indicated that it was exceptionally advanced.

Mira started to feel uneasy. She became concerned about Lucy's wellbeing after grasping the power of this magic and possibly facing the enemy. If Laxus was claiming this type of magic to be extremely formidable, she couldn't help but feel concerned for Lucy. She knew the Celestial Wizard was strong and able to fight for herself. She had always been mesmerised at seeing her grow, but the uneasiness she felt at the moment was overwhelming her. She broke the silence of the guild as she voiced her concern towards Loke. "You're telling me that Lucy fought against the enemy by herself?"

Loke shook his head. "She summoned Virgo and myself. Virgo fought the guy who used Amaterasu and I fought the guy who used bullet magic. Lucy fought the guy who used chain magic by herself. We almost had the upper hand." Loke remembered how he believed this was the best way to fight the opponent. Lucy was an exceptional whip user, so he believed that it would be best for her to face an opponent who used magic that followed similar principles. Virgo could dig her way out of danger when battling the Amaterasu magic user and he could dodge the magic bullets and use his Regulus magic to blind his enemy from shooting accurately. The fighting strategy was working well and it seemed like they were going to win.

"Then what changed the outcome."

"The fact they had placed a magic draining circle around her apartment before they had attacked. We have to consider the fact that they probably aren't as powerful as Master Hades since I can still go through my gate." Loke could see the surprise on Mira's face when he revealed this fact. The magic circle had caught them all by surprise during the battle. Loke had noticed he was running out of magic a lot quicker then usual and Lucy was starting to look exhausted within a few minutes. He looked outside the window and saw the magic circle glowing as their magic power was being drained. He knew at that moment they had to get out of the apartment.

Natsu watched Loke carefully as he explained everything to the guild. He took careful notice of Loke's appearance as he spoke to the guild. He already noticed the tired look on the Zodiac leaders face in the office, but the more he looked at him the more he noticed Loke's hair was messier then usual and there was some dirt clinging to his once pristine suit. His posture was slightly improper as he was leaning a little forward, a clearly indication that he was beyond tired. Natsu knew it was due to his enhanced dragon senses that he was able to see this as the other guild members hadn't pointed it out. "You look exhausted Loke."

Loke scratched the back of his head as he chuckled a little and responded to Natsu's observations. "Well they did put up quite a fight, and the magic circle did catch me by must have drained a lot more magic then I thought."

Erza took note of what Natsu had said and decided she would question Loke about it later. She believed that Loke couldn't be that tired from just a battle with an enemy. There had to be more to it then he was telling them. For now, she would keep the thought to herself and get as much information as she could get about the enemy. "Loke, what else can you tell us?"

"I saw their guild mark and recognised it straight away. It's a triskelion enclosed in a circle of flames." Loke gestured for Reedus to pass his light pen. Once Reedus manoeuvred through the crowd, he threw the light pen which Loke caught swiftly. He immediately started to draw the three swirls of the triskelion and surrounded them in a circle of elaborate flames. Loke passed the light pen back to Reedus and stepped aside for everyone to see. Erza looked at the intricate design and couldn't help but feel dazed at how it looked. Even though the concept was simple, the details were rather complex. "That's quite an astonishing guild mark. Are they a dark guild?"

"Yeah, but I'm afraid I don't know the name," Loke spoke without hesitation. He knew he had to be completely honest about the enemy if they were to find Lucy. He would have to tell them everything he knew to make it easier to gather more information and track them down.

"What could they possible want with Lucy?" Juvia voiced as she processed all the information Loke had informed the guild. She had never fought Master Hades so she didn't know much about the magic types that had been discussed and the extent of their power, but she did remember that Gray, Natsu, Lucy, Wendy and Erza did look beaten up when she saw them on Tenrou Island after the battles with Grimoire Heart. It disturbed her to know Lucy had to face an enemy that used those type of magic again, possibly even recall her battle with Master Hades in order to fight.

Loke could see the visible distress on Juvia when she asked her question. It was a question that was going through everyone's mind. "I don't know. When I discovered they had placed a magic draining circle around the apartment, I told Virgo and Lucy that we should leave the apartment immediately and split up to decrease their chances of finding Lucy. It worked because I trailed one of them and they retreated after a while."

"The enemy retreated?"

"Yes they did, but I don't know why. It could be because they couldn't find Lucy and they had to go back."

The guild became soundless. Loke began walking towards the back of the stage, indicating for Master Makarov to start talking about the plan he had proposed when Gray broke the silence. "So Lucy is fine, right?"

Once again, everyone stared at Loke waiting for him to respond. Loke saw Natsu was observing him with interest in his answer. This made him feel uneasy as he knew his answer would leave Natsu in a foul mood and that could be dangerous, however he knew that he couldn't avoid the question. "Lucy should be fine but I don't know where she is."


End file.
